First, How great and manifold our Sins and Offences have been, and every act of Sin, yea the least that ever we committed, is an infinite Debt, and carries in it an infinite Guilt, because committed against an infinite Majesty. For all Offences take their Measures, not only from the Matter of the Act, but from the Person against whom they are committed: As a reviling injurious Word against our Equals, will but bear an Action at Law, but against the Prince, it is High-Treason, and punishable with Death. So here, the least Offence against the infinite Majesty of the great God, becomes it self infinite: The Guilt of it is far beyond whatsoever we can possibly ⟨p. 116⟩conceive: and yet what infinite Numbers of these infinite Sins have we committed? The Psalmist tells us, They are more than the Hairs of our Head, 1Psalm 40.12. Yea, we may well take in all the Sands of the Sea-shore to cast them up by. Our Thoughts are incessantly in Motion; they keep pace with the Moments, and are continually twinkling, and yet, Every Imagination of the Thoughts of our Hearts is evil. What Multitudes of them have been grossly wicked and impious; Atheistical, Blasphemous, Unclean, Worldly, and Malicious! and the best of them have been very defective, and far short of that Spirituality and Heavenliness that ought to give a Tincture unto them. And besides the Sins of our Thoughts, how deep have our Tongues set ⟨p. 117⟩us on the score? We have talked our selves in debt to the Justice of God, and with our own Breath have been blowing up our everlasting and unquenchable Fire. And add to these the numberless crowd and sum of our sinful Actions, wherein we have busily employed our selves to provoke the Holy and Jealous God to Wrath, and we shall find our Sins to be doubly infinite in their own particular Guilt and Demerit. And now, O Sinner, when an angry and furious God shall come to exact from thee a full satisfaction for all these Injuries, a Satisfaction in which he may eternally rest and acquiesce, such as may repair and recompense his wronged Honour, think sadly with thy self, how infinitely dreadful this must needs be. Assure thy self God ⟨p. 118⟩will not lose by thee, but will fetch his Glory out of thee, and take such a Revenge upon thee as shall as much please and content him, as his infinite Mercy doth in those whom he saves and glorifies. And how great then must this Vengeance be?
First, How great and manifold our Sins and Offences have been, and every act of Sin, yea the least that ever we committed, is an infinite Debt, and carries in it an infinite Guilt, because committed against an infinite Majesty. For all Offences take their Measures, not only from the Matter of the Act, but from the Person against whom they are committed: As a reviling injurious Word against our Equals, will but bear an Action at Law, but against the Prince, it is High-Treason, and punishable with Death. So here, the least Offence against the infinite Majesty of the great God, becomes it self infinite: The Guilt of it is far beyond whatsoever we can possibly ⟨p. 116⟩conceive: and yet what infinite Numbers of these infinite Sins have we committed? The Psalmist tells us, They are more than the Hairs of our Head, 1Psalm 40.12. Yea, we may well take in all the Sands of the Sea-shore to cast them up by. Our Thoughts are incessantly in Motion; they keep pace with the Moments, and are continually twinkling, and yet, Every Imagination of the Thoughts of our Hearts is evil. What Multitudes of them have been grosly wicked and impious; Atheistical, Blasphemous, Unclean, Worldly, and Malicious! and the best of them have been very defective, and far short of that Spirituality and Heavenliness that ought to give a Tincture unto them. And besides the Sins of our Thoughts, how deep have our Tongues set ⟨p. 117⟩us on the score? We have talkt our selves in debt to the Justice of God, and with our own Breath have been blowing up our everlasting and unquenchable Fire. And add to these the numberless crowd and sum of our sinful Actions, wherein we have busily imployed our selves to provoke the Holy and Jealous God to Wrath, and we shall find our Sins to be doubly infinite in their own particular Guilt and Demerit. And now, O Sinner, when an angry and furious God shall come to exact from thee a full satisfaction for all these Injuries, a Satisfaction in which he may eternally rest and acquiesce, such as may repair and recompence his wronged Honour, think sadly with thy self, how infinitely dreadful this must needs be. Assure thy self God ⟨p. 118⟩will not lose by thee, but will fetch his Glory out of thee, and take such a Revenge upon thee as shall as much please and content him, as his infinite Mercy doth in those whom he saves and glorifies. And how great then must this Vengeance be?
- 1Psal. 40.12.
